gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

Item 04 – GRI Topic Standard projectfor Labor – Proposed Expert Members
for the Advisory GroupFor GSSB approval
Date25 November 2022

Meeting15 December 2022

Project

GRI Topic Standards Project for Labor

Description

In accordance with the approved project proposal, The GSSB will establish anAdvisory Group (AG) by appointing independent experts with the relevant
knowledge and expertise to support and advise the labor Technical Committee(TC) in the content development process.
This document presents the proposed Advisory Group composition for approvalby the GSSB. Please note that the Standards Division is making a concerted effort
to find two additional members for the Advisory Group for global representation.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers
at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official
position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. TheGSSB is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2022

1Contents
GRI Topic Standard project for Labor – Proposed Expert Members for the Advisory Group ................. 1For GSSB approval ............................................................................................................................. 1Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2Background ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Overview of applications received ....................................................................................................... 4
Selection process and criteria ............................................................................................................. 7
Proposed Advisory Group ....................................................................................................................... 7
Next steps ...................................................................................................................................... 14
ANNEX 1: Advisory Group Application form .................................................................................. 152Abbreviations used in this document:
AGAdvisory GroupGSSB

Global Sustainability Standards BoardSD

GRI Standards Division

TC

Technical Committee

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3Background

4

The GSSB approved the GRI Topic Standards Project for Labor-related Standards - Project Proposal

5on 15 September 2022.The GSSB approved the GRI Topics Standards GRI Topic Standards Project

6for Labor-related Standards Project Proposal. The GSSB confirmed its intention to form an Advisory

7Group (AG) to advise the Technical Committee (TC) to develop the revised Labor Topic Standards.

8

The TC is comprised of two representatives from International Labour Organization (ILO), two

9representatives representing the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Global

10Unions Federations (GUFs), and two employer representatives (appointed by the International

11Organization of Employers).

12The AG will provide topic-specific knowledge to the Technical Committee to ensure a comprehensive

13

review, with input and recommendations from all constituencies. The TC and SD will ask the AG

14experts to support and specific content during the standards and disclosure development.

15

Furthermore, the AG experts will peer review the Topic Standards as part of the content development

16process.

17

An open call for applications started on 17 September 2022 and finished on 17 October 2022.

18

Candidates applied on a personal expertise level by submitting a completed application form (please19see Annex 1) and a copy of their CV. The selection was based on their input per the criteria

20summarised in the section Selection process and criteria.

21

The SD is identifying nominations from the African and Latin American regions.

22This document presents the proposed membership of the selected experts of the AG for approval by

23

the GSSB.

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24

Overview of applications received

25

The GRI Standards Division received over 270 applications, including those late and incomplete. In

26

addition, 18 AG applications were incomplete, meaning that part of the application was missing, and27

the missing information was not provided after communications by the Standards division.

28

Most applications were from business enterprises (75%), followed by mediation institutions (12%) and29

civil society organizations (9%) (see Graph 1). Please note that this information is based on

30

reclassified data by the SD, not the self-reported data by applicants.

Graph 1: Applications by Constituency
Mediating Institution
12%

Other
1%

Investment Institution
3%

Civil Society
Organization
9%

Businessenterprise
75%

31

From previous calls for experts (TC or WG), the Standards division has the experience that more

32

applications are from Europe, North America, and Asia-Oceania. Therefore, our focus is on finding

33

suitable candidates from other regions. Furthermore, applicants were asked about the geographical34

scope of their work in the application form. The response was underreported. However, data

35

regarding the location of residence of the applicant was also collected. Graph 2 shows applicants by36

region of their residence. Please note that the residency location does not indicate the ethnicity, race,37

nationality, or region of work.

38

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Graph 2: Applications by Geographical Region
Oceania 5%
Africa 8%
North America 15%

Asia 21%
MENA 6%

Latin America 6%

Europe 39%

3940

Graph 3 indicates the number of applicants by their country of residence

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4142

Although the composition of the AG is well-balanced from a constituency perspective, the SD is43making a concerted effort to find two additional members to achieve global representation.

44

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45

Selection process and criteria

46

The principal criterion for selecting the Advisory Group was relevant knowledge and experience of a47

broad range of issues and topics within the Labor and Human rights and sustainable reporting.

48

When selecting suitable candidates, the following was considered:

49

•

50

relevant and adequate knowledge of sustainability reporting on Human Rights and Labor
related topics;

51•

related experience with multi-stakeholder initiatives;

52•

understanding and willingness to work in a consensus-based, multi-stakeholder working

53

group;

54•

familiarity with the needs of users of sustainability reports and other reporting frameworks;

55•

knowledge of key human rights and labor authoritative instruments;

56•

represent at least the following constituencies: business enterprises, academics, meditation

57
58

institutions, and investment institutions;•working level of English.

59

In addition, geographical, gender, and cultural diversity were actively encouraged in the formation of60

the AG.

61

Based on the initial screening, the Standards Division brought the list of 270 applications back to a62

shortlist. Of this shortlist, the most suitable candidates were invited to an interview. 13 Applicants63

were invited to an interview, resulting in 10 nominations to the Labor Advisory Group. In case we find64

suitable candidates from the African and Latin American Region, the SD will bring their nominations to65

the GSSB in due course.

66

Proposed Advisory Group

67

Table 1 presents the proposed composition for the advisory group for GSSB approval. Personal

68

information has been excluded. The list is organized by constituency in alphabetical order.

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Table 1. Proposed Advisory Group Members

#1

Title

Senior
Programme
Manager(Children’sRights andBusiness)

Organization

Constituency

Region ofWork

Extract of background and experience

Senior Programme Manager (Children’s Rights and Business) withUNICEF’s Programme Group Leadership Team in Geneva. This function
is responsible for leading UNICEF’s global work to integrate children’s
rights into responsible business conduct and address negative impacts onchildren of business activities.
UNICEF

Civil Society

GlobalPreviously held various functions with the UN and civil society
organizations as an advocate and technical expert for human- andchildren’s rights in Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
Holds an LLM from the University of Lund, Sweden.
Human Rights Lead at Rainforest Alliance, focusing on a wide range oflabor and human rights issues of saliency in the agriculture sector,including child labor, health & safety, protection from pesticides, the rights
to freedom of association and collective bargaining, responsible
recruitment of migrant workers, and the rights of indigenous persons andlocal communities.

2Lead, Human
RightsRainforest
Alliance

Civil Society

Africa, Asiaand Latin
America, NorthAmerica

15 years at the United States Department of Labor, first with domestic
labor law enforcement agencies and then with the Bureau of International
Labor Affairs. In this role, they conducted labor diplomacy with foreign
governments on behalf of the United States to promote improvements inlabor laws and enforcement; brokered partnerships between the U.S.,
partner governments and NGOs in the garments, electronics, seafood andother sectors; and served as lead author of several editions theDepartment’s flagship publications, the List of Goods Produced by Child
Labor or Forced Labor and Comply Chain: Business Tools for Labor
Compliance in Global Supply Chains.
Lead author of 10+ high-profile US Government reports on child andforced labor, and other labor risks in global supply chains
Advisory Roles in:Page 8 of 18•••Verité Farm Labor Due Diligence Technical Working GroupBetter Cotton Initiative Decent Work Advisory Committee
Accountability Framework Initiative Workers’ Rights GuidanceCommittee

Holds an MBA (International Management and CSR).
Leading the development of IKEA by responsibly procuring products,services, materials, and components for the IKEA value chain. This
includes the requirements for suppliers and the supply chain and theframework that ensures that IWAY remains a credible and robust system
in governance, capacity building, assurance, due diligence, performance
reporting, and monitoring and evaluation.
Roles in:
3Development
Manager IWAY

Inter IKEA
Group

BusinessEnterprise

Global••••ILO Child Labour Platform,
ISEAL Technical Committee
the ISEAL Stakeholder Council,
the Advisory Committee of IRIS convened by the UN International
Organisation for Migration.

25 years of experience in sustainable development and leadership
positions in different industries and geographies
Holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Nova Schoolof Science & Technology and an MBA from CatólicaNova Lisbon MBA.

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Leading the Human Rights work by assisting companies in identifying
salient human rights issues, assessing the quality of their due diligenceprograms, and implementing processes and procedures.
Previously worked for the human rights organization Justice and theDanish Institute for Human Rights.
4Human Rights
LeadPosition GreenBusinessEnterprise

Global

Produced SPO (Second Party Opinions) for sustainability-linked bonds,
assessing the sustainability impact of proposed targets within the bondframework.
Published work on the human rights impact of large internet companies in
the Nordic Journal of Human Rights.
A qualified solicitor (lawyer) also holds a MA in International HumanRights Law from Lund University in Sweden.
Specializes in employment laws and the legal side of human resource
management.
Advisor and litigator with deep knowledge of labor-related national laws
and global norms such as UNGP, ILO conventions, and OECD guidelines.
Member of the labor law committee at Daiichi Tokyo Bar Association andled the research at the foreign law subcommittee.

5Partner Lawyer

Tanabe &Partners

Business
EnterpriseJapan

Independent director at two companies listed on the Tokyo Stock
Exchange Prime market.
Director at the BDTI (The Board Director Training Institute of Japan),teaching issuers’ board directors and officers about the importance of
disclosure integrity and ESG topics.
Holds degrees from the University of Tokyo and Georgetown University
Law Center (LL.M.).

Page 10 of 18

Director of the ESG Research Institute
A sustainability expert working with numerous multinational enterprises,
public organizations, and the government to innovate their sustainability
policies, strategies, and performance.
Board member of the Council on Economic Policies, a member of thestandards board at AccountAbility, and an adjunct professor at Hanyang
University.
Prior to their current role:
6Director

Kim & ChangMediatingInstitution

Korea

••

leading Korean government agency under the Ministry of Trade,Industry, and Energy (MOTIE)
Secretary-General of the Sustainability Center at MOTIE,
Secretary of the CSR Center at the Ministry of SMEs & Startups,
and served as an ESG advisor on the 20th Presidential Transition
Committee.

Studied in the US and Korea, holds a doctorate in management
engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science andTechnology.
The current role is to develop policies and expectations of companies andengage on social topics, from human rights and child rights to tax
transparency and anti-corruption.

7

Norges Bank
Investment
Management

Head of Social
Initiatives

Investment
Institution

Engaging with investee companies, interacting with external stakeholders,
including civil society, trade unions, affected stakeholders, standard
setters, and regulators to convey expectations on as a responsible
investor
GlobalDeveloped NBIM’s new human capital management expectations,published in August 2022. This included broad consultations internally andexternally, research and drafting.
Member of the advisory committee of Advance, the PRI stewardshipinitiative on human rights and social topics.
Holds a MA in Human Rights from Columbia University and a BA in
International Affairs from the University of Paris.

Page 11 of 1820 years of experience in governance, technology, business, and humanrights.
Current role in developing software and analytics platform collecting
social, labor, and human rights impact data and engaging stakeholders tocreate more transparent and responsible supply chains. Currently working
with Fortune 500 companies from textile, retail, food and beverage, andmining sectors.
8CEO

Ulula

Business
Enterprise

GlobalPreviously held senior positions at the International Natural Resource
Governance Institute and the United Nations Development Program.
Co-author of various publications on transparency, technology, fiscal
policy, natural resource governance, and supply chains.

Holds graduate degrees from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris,
Oxford University, and Columbia University's School of International andPublic Affairs.
Expert in supply chain transparency at the9Chair in
Accountancyand Professor inSustainability
Accounting &Transparency

Sustainability accounting and transparency researcher at the University ofAberdeen. Research areas include human rights disclosures, corporatetransparency on modern slavery, SDGs & social audits, and corporate
anti-bribery measures.
University ofAberdeen
BusinessSchool

MediatingInstitution

Global20 years of research investigating the use of social audits and CSR
disclosures concerning the lives of those who work in garment factories inBangladesh that supply goods to large brands and retailers based in North
America, Europe, and Australia.
Global research collaborations are with international institutions andresearchers.
Grew up in Dhaka city in Bangladesh in the 1980s and 1990s in an area
which garment factories surrounded, which inspired their career
Holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from RMIT University, Australia.

Page 12 of 18

Associate Professor in Accounting, Middlesex University
Member of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting (CSEAR).

10AssociateProfessor inAccounting

MiddlesexUniversity,London

MediatingInstitution

GlobalAcademic Research on Transparency, Labour and Human Rights
Reporting Practices, Worker representation, Employment Relations,
global value chains, corporate governance, human resource
management, and ESG reporting.
Research also includes comparative studies between regions.
Teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Corporate
Governance and Corporate Accountability, Corporate Accountability andEthics, and sustainability.
Holds a Ph. D in Accounting and Finance from Middlesex University

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Next steps

71

Following GSSB approval, the Standards Division will confirm membership with selected candidates.

72

The Advisory Group will start its work in 2023.

73

More information can be found in the AG and TC Group Terms of Reference.

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ANNEX 1: Advisory Group Application form

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